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Beginner's Guide to Building a PC
Basics * Should I build my own computer? (Reddit) *'How much do I need to spend?' It depends on the purpose of your build, but generally $600-1000. *Future proofing is a waste of money (Reddit) *An Explanation of what each computer component does (Reddit) *What motherboard (mobo) specs mean (Reddit) *Choosing parts guidelines Complete Guides to Building a PC *How To Build A PC (Tom’s Hardware) Guide to component selection. *Animated guide to building a PC *How To Assemble A Desktop PC (Wikibook) *In-depth 2 hour video on building a PC *Newegg Tv: How to Build a Computer (Youtube) Components (Parts) Selecting components (general) *Tom's Hardware "Build Your Own" articles. *Logical Increments PC Buying Guide. *Bring yourself up to speed on technology. (somewhat out of date) *When is the best time to purchase computer parts? *Where to find deals on parts. *PCPartPicker is a useful site for piecing together builds. *Pangoly allows you to create custom builds starting from your preferred budget. * Newb Computer Build - Gaming PC Builds Selecting specific components Processors (CPU) *Best Gaming CPUs For The Money *Best Gaming CPUs by Overall Performance (always updated) *What would be good reasons to go for an Intel i7? Motherboards *What makes a good motherboard 'good'? (Reddit) Graphics Cards *Best Graphics Cards For The Money *Best Graphics Cards by Overall Performance (always updated) Power Supply (PSU) *Tiered Power Supply List (Eggxpert) *Power Supply Resources & Discussion *Here’s information on power supplies and graphics cards *What is the decision process for a power supply? *Here's how to find a PSU cheaply on Newegg. *How do I determine the recommended total power supply wattage for my system? **Power Supply Calculator **Phaedrus Quick'n'Dirty PSU calculator Hard Drives (HDD) *Buy SATA hard/optical drives, not IDE. *3.5 inch, 7200rpm is the best choice. *Make sure you are buying those which has the latest SATA version. If you buy older once it means its performance will be reduced at least half. Solid State Drives (SSD) *Do I need an SSD? RAM *64gb Cases *How important is a computer case? *Guide to Modern and Popular Cases, August 2011 *Favorite computer case, January 2011 Misc *Why you may not need a sound card. *How to Get Windows 7 Cheaply. *BaPC recommended monitor threads: **Best gaming monitors of 2011? (Jan 2011) **Reddit BaPC search results for "monitors" **Reddit BaPC search results for "monitor" Hardware Reviews *http://www.hardwareheaven.com/ *http://www.tomshardware.com *http://www.extremetech.com/ *http://www.anandtech.com/ *http://www.hardware-revolution.com/ How to Assemble Your Computer *Step-by-Step Guide to Building a PC (Tom’s Hardware) This includes pictures and a multitude of other helpful links, it is recommend that one through this whole guide, as well as all of the links. *10 minute video showing how to assemble a computer. (Youtube) *Tips for cable management.(Reddit) *How to apply thermal paste: **Best Thermal Paste Application Methods **Arctic Silver Thermal Compound Instructions **How To Correctly Apply Thermal Grease **Thermal Paste Discussion (Reddit) *Always remember to use standoffs under your motherboard to avoid damaging it *Use an anti-static wristband to safeguard against damaging the circuitry during assembly. Post-Boot Troubleshooting *"System won't boot" and "no video output" checklist (Tom’s hardware) *You bought the components, put it all together, fired up the power and.... nothing? (Reddit) *PC Hardware Monitoring and Reporting Utilities (Reddit) Other FAQ’s *'Do I need liquid cooling?' Only if you are planning on heavily overclocking should you consider liquid cooling. It is mostly just a huge pain the ass, and is not worth the effort unless you plan on running extremely hot. If you’re a beginner, don’t waste your time. If you’re not planning on OCing, stock cooling is basically A-OK. Source 1. Source 2. *'What about a gaming laptop? 'There are differing opinions , but the consensus seems to be that you should buy a cheap netbook and use the rest on a decent desktop. *'How do I filter dust?' Various threads on the subject (Reddit). How to Ask for Help If you want part recommendations, please including the following: *Price limit *What components you already have - monitor, keyboard, mouse, graphics card, etc. *Purpose of the computer - gaming, office work, video/photo editing, development, etc. *Any other parameters you want to set: **desired gaming resolution **quietness **portability **ability to overclock **power consumption **etc. Shopping for Computer Parts *Newegg: search for any available combo deals for a specific product *PC Part Picker (Guide to using PC Part Picker to auto-format reddit posts.) *Online retailers by country (Tom's Hardware) Source/References #http://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/f3efg